The Big Business of Gaming

Written by Shala Hainer Friday, November 25 2011

Snapshot: Lisa Marino, CEO, Rock You
Lisa Marino has moved through the ranks of gaming company RockYou, Redwood City, Calif., from vice president of sales to chief revenue officer to chief operating officer and now chief executive officer. RockYou strives to find the balance between players, advertisers, and developers to create the best experiences for all. Its games include Zoo World, Zoo World 2, and Galactic Allies. During her time with RockYou, she has expanded its media business to make the company one of the largest social gaming companies on Facebook – it's now ranked fourth, with about 20 million active users per month.

Prior to working with RockYou, Marino worked with eBay Motors as the national sales manager. She also co-founded Cima Systems, which provides customer-interaction technology to companies in the automotive industry.

A sought-after speaker, Marino has been called upon to speak at such events as the iMedia Summits and Digital Hollywood. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for her bachelor's degree and earned an MBA from Stanford University.

Womenetics: How is serving as RockYou's CEO different from being COO?
Lisa Marino: As COO, I managed P&L for RockYou while driving user acquisition and business development. When I was appointed CEO earlier this year, my focus became broader. This is an industry that moves quickly and is constantly evolving. It’s my job to look at the big picture of where the industry is headed and guide RockYou to be a successful business both now and in the long term. RockYou’s strengths are in monetization and distribution. At our heart we’re a media business; we create our own content and publish third-party content, then drive distribution and monetization of the content. As CEO, I make sure we’re honing in on our unique offering in a competitive space.

Womenetics: Do you ever have issues with customers or partners because you're a woman leading a company in the male-dominated gaming industry? If so, how do you handle these issues?
Marino: I've spent the last 20 years in male-dominated industries, from tech mergers and acquisitions to autos and now gaming. Knowing how to navigate the male-dominated waters is something I learned when I played sports and has served me well my entire professional career. I really don't think about it. We have a goal, and we need to meet it whatever the obstacles. Gender just becomes a non-issue to success.

Womenetics: How is social gaming different from other types of games, including role-playing games?
Marino: Social games are accessible to a wider audience. They are typically easier to learn and pick up and can be played in short sessions. They fit with how many people consume entertainment today, which is in small chunks when they have the time. The genre is growing to be even more social, so that friends can play simultaneously and enjoy an interactive experience together.

	Lisa Marino

Womenetics: How did you make the leap from eBay Motor's national sales manager to the executive team at RockYou?
Marino: When I joined RockYou, I worked for my husband, heading up the media sales team. We had a huge focus on autos early on, given my background. I loved running the sales team because I learned so much about social. After my husband, Ro, left, I took over his role as the CRO of RockYou and then became the COO. My ride here has been fun, and I have learned a tremendous amount about leadership, execution, and focus.

Womenetics: What has been your biggest sacrifice or obstacle during your career?
Marino: My family. I don't get to spend nearly enough time with my kids, and now that I no longer work with my husband, our careers constantly get in the way. It's a lot of work to keep our relationship and family on track.

Womenetics: Most people selling products deal with hundreds or thousands of customers; you deal with millions. How do you make sure your players' needs, such as technical support, are taken care of?
Marino: Distribution and operations requirements for social games are rising, and live operations, such as support, quality assurance, and localization are all necessary to scale. Our community and support teams are very integrated into the fan community and are responsive to players’ comments and questions. We also have an active forum where customers can get their questions answered and seek technical support. We have found that the third-party developers we partner with value our operations support since it is an essential part of keeping a social game running smoothly.

Womenetics: How does the advertising platform work with the games?
Marino: Only about 4 percent of social game players monetize via virtual goods. With an in-game ad platform, we’re able to reach the other 96 percent of users through interactive campaigns. This means that players can get in-game items and other rewards by interacting with an ad, such as watching a short video or solving a branded puzzle, rather than spending money. Our media business includes 300 million impressions a day on our ad network and 170 million uniques a month. Integrating in-game advertisements offers brands the distinct advantage of reaching players while they are in a highly receptive state and are immersed in game play.

Womenetics: How do you balance the needs of your advertisers with the wants of the players?
Marino: We recently performed a Social Gaming Thought Leadership Study with Interpret, a leading market research firm. The study of more than 2,000 social gamers found that social game players are competitive and appreciate getting virtual and real-world rewards for their achievements. For example, some players may not be willing to pay for virtual goods, but are willing to watch a sponsored ad to gain extra points or get ahead. Brands are able to offer meaningful interactions with players – we see that as a win-win situation.

Womenetics: RockYou's Zoo World game recently became one of Facebook's top five games -- a major milestone. What is the next milestone RockYou is reaching for?
Marino: We want to start growing virally again so that we achieve that scale that a media business needs for success. Lowering the cost of user acquisition is the No. 1 priority for the company now that we have really good content.

Womenetics: How important are the partnerships you've developed for funding and game development, such as those with Lightspeed Venture Partners and Loot Drop? How do you structure your partnerships?
Marino: We work closely with our investors to build a successful and profitable business as our business strategy evolves over time. As for our partnerships with third-party game developers, we officially launched RockYou’s Studio Partners in July. Studio Partners is our third-party publishing unit that enables developers to leverage RockYou’s advertising solutions, analytics tools, and broader marketing support. We’re focusing on our current titles and future third-party publishing opportunities and are not currently working with Loot Drop. We have other games in the pipeline coming from our Studio Partners program that we can’t wait to introduce to our players so stay tuned.

Womenetics: RockYou's games reach into several other countries including Turkey and Japan. What is the next step in your expansion of games into other countries?
Marino: Frankly, we like to partner with players who are local experts. We know the Facebook platform and the Western media market in general, whether social or mobile. That is where we focus our efforts. I need to give credit to our international partners for the successes we've had in other regions.

Womenetics: What's your favorite social game published by RockYou, and why? Do you ever have time to play?
Marino: I play games a lot. My favorite game right now is Hooked because it's quick and competitive. I spend 20 percent of my day playing games, whether those built by RockYou or those built by competitors.

---

Based near Atlanta, Shala Hainer has been writing and copyediting since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, she most recently wrote and edited articles for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a bachelor’s in communications from Jacksonville State University.